A Ball And Chain
by lunastars
Summary: As the Governor's next victim, Beth has no choice but to pull herself together. After weeks of torture will Beth be the same person or will her capture change her forever? – Multiple pairings (eventual [mainly] Meth). AU - Various warnings and possible spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

**IMPORTANT Author's Note:**

_Firstly, this fic is more AU than anything I've ever done, although there is a TWD fic I have planned that will be even more AU so this will be good practice (I hope). This one is still set in the middle of the zombie apocalypse and seen as the Governor is part of this story I'd say that season 3 is where we're setting this story, but that's not to say that you'll see many events from season 3 or that we'll follow the season at all. Do be careful though, spoilers may slip in, who knows? Plus, as far as I know I'm keeping the events of season 1 and 2 pretty much the same._

_Anyway, this is primarily going to end up as a Meth fic. If you don't like the pairing, leave now. If you do then, hey! (We should talk and go crazy over them together!) We won't be rushing into Meth so you won't see them together properly for a while, but you will get interactions of some kind and see them 'grow' as characters I guess you can say, that I can certainly promise you._

**Pairings as of yet: **_Meth (Merle/Beth), possible Beth/Martinez if you squint really really hard, possible slight Caryl (Daryl/Carol), and a bit of Glenn/Maggie (note: more pairings may arise)_

_Certain things may not correspond with information online, displayed on the show or what you may know. This could be ages, the actions of certain characters and so on._

**WARNING**_**: **__This fic will contain __violence__, __**possible **__upsetting scenes__, __mentions of assault__, __trauma__, and __adult scenes__._

_I will add a 'warning' notice at the beginning of each chapter so that you guys know which warnings will be in which chapter. I will also warn you if new things have popped up and/or how intense said warnings are._

_Anyway, sorry for the looooong A/N but I needed to let you guys know a few things before we jumped into this! So if you read this then thank you so much, I hope you like it. And if you have any questions don't be afraid to leave it in a review or PM me._

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**Chapter 1.  
**  
Beth screamed as her hair was yanked and she was dragged. Between her screams and her feeble attempts at trying to remove the hand tangled in her hair, she also tried to keep up right. Every so often she would lose her footing and her knees would hit the floor. Her attacker of course wouldn't stop so she was forced to be dragged along the hard, concrete floor until she was able to get to her feet again. The pulsing in her head and the tears in her eyes made her pretty sure that her hair was close to being ripped out at the roots. She was angry at herself for ending up in this situation but even angrier that another human being could be so violent and forceful without even talking to her first. She knew where she was and who she was with, well, sort of. She figured she was in Woodbury because she figured that the man dragging her though these dark, dank corridors was working for the Governor.

Their battles with the Governor were getting out of hand. They had met Michonne and everything seemed normal until of course they weren't. The Governor had a vendetta against her and the group were too loyal to let Michonne give herself up or even risk doing anything alone. Beth had been behind that choice as well, Michonne was a good asset and clearly a good ally. The only time Beth's back-up of this decision flattered was when Andrea managed to escape and return to them, a man named Milton in toe. The group were suspicious, especially of Milton who was the Governor's second hand man from what they'd heard, but after hearing everything about the Governor (what he was really like, for example) the group gave Milton a chance.

It had all been good decsions, Beth still stood by that, even in her current situation. There had been attacks, taunts and a lot of planning from both sides but then the Governor laid dormant. There was no real reason to attack Woodbury. Andrea, Milton and Michonne all agreed that majority of it's residents were genuinely good people and didn't deserve to be in the middle of the war. Without any real cause or proof that the Governor would be there, Rick refused to storm the place. Upon hearing about the number of children, elderly and disabled at Woodbury most of the group agreed that an attack on the town would be more of a loss than a win.

Beth was torn from her thoughts as she was thrown through a doorway. She hit the ground hard, bruising more of her body for sure. As she groaned in pain she heard the man laughing behind her. Clearly he wasn't leaving just yet. He had thrown her through on purpose when he could just have easily of dragged her through. Beth was finding it hard to decide if the pain of her hair being almost pulled out was better or worse than the pain of being pushed full force onto a concrete floor. It saddened Beth deeply to think about how her life had come to her deciding between such things.

"Get her up and take her over to the wall."

The man who had dragged Beth stepped towards her again. She tried to keep her cool and not react, not wanting to give them the satisfaction, but it was all too clear that she was shaking like a leaf. The man laughed as he picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder this time. Beth couldn't help the sigh of relief that left her mouth, at least he wasn't trying to remove attached parts or break her.

"Just the 'cuffs for now."

Beth gulped. Her feet hit the floor but the man grabbed her wrists quickly. He pulled them behind her back and secured a pair of handcuffs. As he worked she was able to see passed him. Another man stood in the middle of the room. This man wore an eye patch and looked surprisingly well dressed for this kind of situation. The Governor.

The handcuffs cut into her wrists sharply, but she figured if she audibly complained then they would only be tightened not loosened. The Governor studied her for a moment, moving about as he did, no words ever leaving his lips. A slight nod had the other man's hands on Beth again. He pulled her back more towards the wall. To her surprise half of the the handcuffs were unlocked. The hand that still had the handcuff attached was lifted into the air. Her eyes follow her hand to see a chain. The chain had a loop at the end which the handcuff went through. The chain was slack, giving her arm a little bit of movement. The other hand was attached to the chain on the other side with another pair of handcuffs and then the man stepped away.

Beth felt some relief but she knew it probably wasn't over yet. As the man stepped passed the Governor, Beth followed him with her eyes. He reached a small control area, in that area was a handle. The man turned it repeatedly, as if winding something up. A sharp pain shot through Beth's arm and she knew what it was. The chains were tightening and her arms were being pulled. The force was just enough to mean that she couldn't lower them, not even a little, and it would surely cause her even more serious pain after a while, but it wasn't enough to rip her arms away or dislocate her shoulders, yet. Beth knew she wasn't exactly heavy but she knew if she was left like that for her entire stay here then God knows what could happen, she only prayed her group would find her.

* * *

Hours passed and Beth was still hanging. It wouldn't be so bad if she wasn't so exhausted. Every time her eyes closed and her legs gave way, she would fall. The pain of her body tugging on her restrained, extended arms was always enough to jolt her awake. Between her jelly legs, her tired eyes and the growing pain in her shoulders Beth was ready to quit. She refused to cry and moan for help but it was becoming damn near impossible. She would do _anything_ just to be set down for a bit, she'd do more to gain her freedom.

The door opened suddenly and she tried to stand a little straighter. The Governor walked in and this time he was with a different man. This one, Beth knew, was Martinez. There was never something quite right about him. They'd managed a few measly, calm talks between Rick and the Governor before things really went sour and Martinez had always sounded like he was on the fence. Daryl seemed to have some sort of respect for the guy, just seemed to believe that Martinez had chosen badly. Beth figured that if any of these people were her escape route, it was him. No friendly resident of Woodbury would venture to where she was, she had figured that already.

Beth's mouth watered slightly as the Governor sat down on a chair and pulled out a bottle of water. He brought it to his lips, drinking almost a third of it in one gulp. After the cap was secured he started to munch on a chocolate bar. Beth had gone a long while without food, or at least without much food, but this time it felt different, this time it was different. Her stomach growled and the Governor smirked in response. He finished off the chocolate bar and drowned the rest of his water. When he was done he rolled the empty bottle towards her. It hit her feet and Beth watched in agony as a drop of water dripped from the open lid.

The Governor's movements caught her eye. He moved to the handle. He unwound the chains slightly and Beth felt some relief. There was a burning pain from the strain on her arms but it felt so much better. This pain she welcomed more, this one was at least warm and dull. But her relief was short lived. The Governor tightened the chains. Beth bit her bottom lip, breaking skin. When he loosened them again, Beth didn't even take a moment to enjoy the relief, instead she anticipated.

The Governor kept it up. On the fourth time Beth finally begged him to stop. Her arms didn't feel like her own anymore, they were numb but the pain still hung around, especially in her shoulders. If her legs weren't so weak she could hold herself up and stop the pain, or at least calm it down. She begged and she begged for him to stop but he kept on going. Yanking her arms back up, harder and faster each time.

"Please!" Beth cried, tears spilling over now, splashing onto the concrete at her feet. "Stop it, just let me go!"

"I can't," the Governor said, tightening the chains a little more. "I need you."

"Michonne won't give herself up, they won't let her," Beth tried to reason. "And if my group are smart then they won't race in here. God knows when they'll come or if they even will. Please, just let me leave."

"Well if they don't come then I have no use for you." Beth would have been excited by the news but his cold tone told her it was anything but good. "The only way you're leaving this room is dead or to be killed."

He tightened the chains a little more, tighter than they had been before. As he turned to leave Beth broke down. Between her sobs she begged him, promising to do anything if he just let her down. Her cries were getting louder and more horrifying in sound as he stepped closer to the door. She screamed, her voice already hoarse as he stepped through the door and his footsteps led away. Despite the pain she thrashed against the chains, hoping to draw him back to her. She had only been taken yesterday, and this was the first time she had met the Governor and been held like this, yet Beth felt like this was the kind pain she should feel after days of being captive, she cried harder at how much worse things to get.

It was then that she noticed Martinez still standing there. He didn't look sad or sorry but he didn't look thrilled or excited either which was good in Beth's books. With pleading eyes she tried to stay on her feet. It didn't help that she was practically on her tip toes. She didn't dare open her mouth as the tears continued to follow. She just kept her eyes firmly on him. Eventually emotion showed through. He looked at the ground sadly as he opened the door again.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled.

Beth screamed again as he stepped from the room and shut the door behind him.

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**A/N: **_Not much right now in terms of what we are going to get later on. __Although she may appear defenceless and like she needs a hero at times, Beth will hold her own at times in this fic and she will have this strength that you'll see grow throughout. I really don't want Beth to be too much of a damsel in distress throughout this. __You may see the old, crude Merle but I'm hoping to turn him into the Merle I think we would have seen in season 4 had things gone differently._

_Anyway, what did you guys think of chapter 1? I'd love to know. On a side note, seen as there's various meanings of Ball and Chain, I chose it for the title mainly because of this definition: "a heavy metal ball secured by a chain to the leg of a prisoner to prevent escape."_

_I promise that A/N's will not be this long on every chapter unless there's an issue, a really important note or just a general reply to everyone._

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R&R


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** _Just a little note, I planned this/wrote the first chapter before we got season 4 or any promo stuff for it._

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**Chapter 2.**

It felt like hours for Beth before the door opened again. If it wasn't for the pain and her struggle to keep balance, she would have fallen asleep standing up. Every inch of energy was drained from her, only the adrenaline keeping her going. It was all taking so much out of her that she didn't even bother to see who had entered the door. Usually it meant no good and she doubted that was going to change. Maybe they were going to actually cut her arms off now, she was confident the pain would be lesser.

To her surprise the chains loosened. Her arms started to slack, causing heat to radiate through her arms. She could barely feel them and the heat only caused her pain. The chains continued to loosen. As her feet went flat on the ground she swayed a little, too disorientated to stay up straight. The last few turns of that crank seemed to take the longest, but as they finally loosened completely her arms dropped and dragged her down with them. They were dead weight and she could barely lift them. She curled up in a ball as best as she could with her hands still chained.

Whoever had let her down still hadn't spoke. Beth listened as they came closer to her. Footsteps light but still growing in volume. She was confident she could rule the Governor out, he wouldn't let her down without taunting her. Unless the taunting was yet to come. She would take anyone over him, even the guy who had almost ripped her hair out and nearly broken several bones.

"Beth?"

She peaked but didn't move, to see Martinez, the last person she expected. Sure he seemed like her best way out but after he walked away and left her, Beth was confident that he wouldn't come to her rescue easily.

"I bought you something to eat and drink," he said softly.

In response Beth curled up further. Her mind was in a whirl. First he didn't help her, now he was. Early the Governor taunted her with an empty bottle of water, now she was getting a meal. Beth wasn't sure what to think, who to trust and what to do. All she wanted to do was fall to sleep and wake up to find out this was all a horrible dream. As a bonus maybe she'd wake up on the farm and the everything in the world would be right, no Walkers in sight.

"Beth, you need to eat," he urged. "I'm sorry I didn't help you earlier but trust me, this food won't hurt you."

"Why should I believe you?" she questioned, voice cracking slightly.

"Because poison in your food is a bit too easy for the Governor."

She turned her head to look at him. "What food?"

"Cheese sandwich. I also got you some apple juice. It's a little cold but that might soothe you a little and I figured it would taste much better than water."

Slowly Beth moved into a sitting position. The chains were as loose as they could go so she was able to move her arms a lot more freely. Each movement of her arms hurt. They'd been suspended in the same position for so long that the slightest twitch felt like she had just been lifting weights. The only reason she pushed through it was because she didn't want Martinez to get too close.

"I'm sorry I didn't help before," he told her, looking at the ground. "I didn't want to leave you there, but I couldn't help you."

"You're helping me now," she pointed out, picking at the sandwich.

"You have to eat, no point in him keeping you alive if there's nothing left of you."

"It hasn't been that long," she mumbled.

"You've barely got any meat on ya as it is."

Despite the situation she smiled. He wasn't wrong really. She had always been quite petite, smaller and skinnier than most of her friends. She was convinced that her size was the main reason why most people assumed she was weak. Really they weren't wrong about it but it slowly became a thing, no one second guessed it or gave her chance. Now she was here.

Half-way through her sandwich she paused. She reached over to get the bottle. The cap was sealed which she was thankful for. She broke the seal off then wrapped her hand around the cap. She tried to turn it. It moved but hardly any. She twisted it as hard as she could but it wouldn't budge. Her hands were growing red from the pressure. She was close to tears when the bottle was taken from her.

Beth raised her eyes to see Martinez opening up the bottle. He kept a hold of the cap but handed the bottle back to her. Not taking her eyes off of him, she reached out and took it. As she brought the bottle to her lips and drank, he looked away. Martinez had been right. The cold of the apple juice soothed her throat and made her feel a lot better. It made such a difference that Beth fought with herself to drink it slowly.

"Thank you for this," she muttered softly.

"Are you finished?" he asked nervously looking at the floor.

She ate the last bit of sandwich and drank her apple juice. Settling the two of them down on the floor, she pushed them away. "Yes..."

He stood up from the ground. Beth's heart rated picked up and she began to panic as he moved back over to the control area. The whole time he refused to look at her as he turned the handle. She was barely able to scramble to her feet in time as her arms were raised. If she had some give then it would be fine, she could live with that but he seemed to be putting her back in the exact same way he found her.

As her arms were stretched as high as possible, she struggled. "Please, stop turning it!"

"I have to put you back the way he left you," Martinez said reluctantly. "He'll notice."

"He'll notice that you let me down to eat, please!"

"I'll say I fed it to you."

"I'll tell him you didn't."

"He's not going to believe you," he murmured, turning the crank and yanking Beth onto the tips of her toes.

"I can't stay like this," she moaned. "Please, just let me stand flat."

Martinez moved over and picked the plate and bottle up. "He'll be back here soon. No doubt he'll taunt you but he'll let you down, give you a chance to get a bit of your strength back, it makes it fun for him."

"Please," she begged. "Just for a little while longer."

"I wish I could," he said, heading to the door. "If I were you, I would pray that this whole thing ends quickly... And I wouldn't be too picky on how it ends."

Before Beth could respond he was out and shutting the door behind him. Although she felt more alert thanks to eating and drinking, it wasn't enough to help her stand this. This was her down time really, before the Governor came in but she couldn't relax. If this is what the good people in this group did then she could only imagine what the Governor's next visit was going to be like.

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**A/N: **_I always say that violent stories need to have their breaks or flashes of soft spots. These will be rare for a while but I wanted to give you guys a taste of it. :)_

_R&R_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

When Beth woke up the next morning, she was lying in a heap on the floor. Her body felt battered and bruised as she rolled onto her back. She wasn't sure how long she would last this. She had been locked up one night but she was captured the day before yesterday. Already it felt to Beth like she had been there for weeks. Maybe the Governor was all talk. Maybe nothing would happen to her and she would be fine. At least that's what Beth was hoping. He hadn't really laid a hand on her, yet he had already caused her so much pain.

"Wakey, wakey!" Beth groaned as the loud voice boomed and echoed around the room.

"Come on, Sunshine, up ya get," said the same voice.

She looked up to see that it was the man who had dragged her in here. He seemed a lot more cheerful. Beth didn't like that. In fact it made her angry.

"I don't see what the difference is with me lying here like this or sitting up pretending to be more awake than I actually am."

"I think it'll make a difference to my lunch time entertainment."

_So it's lunch time_, Beth thought, staring up at the ceiling in wonder before another thought struck her. _Entertainment?_

As quick as lightning she was up into a sitting position. She ignored the pain in her body as he stepped closer. Beth backed herself up as much as possible, hugging the wall as he crouched down in front of her.

"What do you want?" she asked, stuttering her words slightly.

"What do you think?" he questioned, stroking his thumb across her cheek and kissing the same spot after straight after.

Beth shuddered. Deciding at the last minute that it might be best to play dumb. "I don't know what you mean."

"Sure ya do," he muttered, kissing her cheek again.

His body was much closer now. He was situated between her legs, leaning in despite her hands pushing against his chest. Beth was frantically thinking of ways out of it as he trailed kisses along her cheek, heading for her lips.

"Jackson!"

Beth sighed. She never thought she would be happy to hear the Governor's voice, but in that moment it was her life line. At least for now.

"Later," the Governor said as Jackson looked Up. "Now leave." Jackson ran his hand down Beth's arm as he kissed her lightly, before getting up and leaving her alone with the Governor.

* * *

An hour or so passed without incident. The Governor had just pulled up a chair and sat down. He stared in Beth's direction but didn't move or say anything. At first Beth would just sit there, staring right back, waiting for him to strike but slowly she relaxed. She took the time she had to give her body a proper rest. She didn't move a muscle as she slumped back against the wall. His constant staring kept her nerves high but she was able to push it far enough away.

"Feeling more relaxed?"

Beth's attention snapped to the Governor. Was it a trick question? How should she answer? She hadn't quite figured out how to get around the Governor, how to find the appropriate response that would result in minimum consequences. If she was going to survive she needed to work these things out or learn how to completely switch herself off.

"I feel a bit better," she admitted.

He nodded his head, still watching her. "That's good."

"Yeah," she agreed before adding as an after-thought, "thank you."

He shrugged, getting up off of the chair. He paced, no longer looking straight at her. "You know I'm not going to be able to stop that all the time."

"Stop what?"

"Jackson, the others, from making advances," he explained. "I'm not one to stand in the way of my men and their fun, just so long as they don't screw up my plans."

"And what is your plan exactly?" Beth questioned, hoping to keep her mind focused.

"I want that prison of yours," he said as if it were obvious. "I figure I can use you as a bargaining chip or I could use you as bait to bring your friends here. Failing that I'm sure I could find plenty of other ways to use you for my purpose." They shared a look before he spoke again, both sensing what she was thinking. "I leave that kind of work to my men. I'm all business."

Beth snorted at that. It seemed like there was a very blurred line between what was business-like and what wasn't around here. Beth was pretty sure that half the time things were made up as they went along.

"Sitting in that chair staring at me is all business?"

"Believe it or not."

"And now?"

"I'm going to leave."

Beth stared at him in disbelief. "That's it? You come in here and stare at me for God knows how long and then you just leave?"

"It was nice talking to you," he said, ignoring her comment as he made his way over to the door. "I do hope you made the most of that rest. It's too late now if you didn't."

Beth stared after him as he walked out of the room, leaving the door open. Too late if she didn't? Was he letting her go, giving her a chance to escape? Was that why the door was still open? It couldn't be, she was still chained. Beth tugged on them to check but they still held strong. As she tugged on them again she heard footsteps.

Her eyes shot up to see Jackson. She shrunk back against the wall as he locked eyes with her. Slowly he stepped forward, each one deliberate. Beth couldn't help but notice the hungry look in his eyes. It made her cringe, she didn't want to think about what was going on inside of his head, she just knew she didn't want to be a part of it.

Before he got too close he moved to the crank. He turned the handle, tightening her chains. Despite her fear Beth knelt as her arms lifted. She prepared herself to stand but just before it got to that point, he stopped turning the handle. Beth went to move anyway but movements from Jackson cut her off. She stayed on her knees, but tried her hardest to back away. She wanted to make herself as small as possible, to try and hide away from that evil glint in his eyes.

This time as he advanced, his walk was a lot more determined. That look in his eyes was a lot more defined and he was practically drooling. It was the blade in his hand that made Beth's heart race. He was swinging it around like it was nothing, but Beth knew it had purpose. Her hands were tied so she knew it wasn't a precaution to make sure she didn't try anything. Beth's eyes moved from the blade to Jackson's face.

He licked his lips slowly, deliberately. With his free hands he adjusted himself, letting out a cross between a sigh and a groan as he did. They locked eyes and it all happened within seconds. Beth screamed, yanking at her chains as she tried to back away, while Jackson grinned from ear to ear and closed the space between them.

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**A/N: **_I'm making up the Governor's men for the purpose of this story apart from Merle and Martinez. And yes, a bit of a cliff-hanger I guess? I'm hoping to get the next chapter up soon but it depends on what I decide in terms of how to start the next chapter after the end of this one or the style that I want. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! :)_

_R&R_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** _Making my mind up for this did take a while. Luckily __**sweetkiwi604 **__was as lovely as ever and was willing to help me out a little! Also, a friendly reminder, I'm English so some things may be (actually they probably will be) different in terms of terminology. Either way, I hope you enjoy!  
_  
**WARNING: **_Mentions of _**rape**/**violence****_  
_**_This is mild I guess compared to how it can get in chapters to come. It also won't be laid out like this all the time._

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**Chapter 4**

Beth laid motionless on the floor, scraps of clothing covering her body. She had curled up into a ball, trying to block the world out. Doing nothing had her mind plagued with memories of what had happened, but when she moved she felt nothing but pain. It was emotional or physical, she chose the former.

At the time it seemed the lesser of two evils but now she was frozen. She couldn't move, she couldn't speak, she couldn't do a thing. It was like nothing else existed and she was living her own personal hell. She thought she had been a good Christian. Sure she had killed people, stolen things and she had been completely envious of her past life, but could God really blame her? Would he really punish her in such a way with the world being the way it was?

The air was cold and the temperature in the room was dropping drastically. Making the first move in hours, Beth repositioned the rags around her. Her clothes had been ripped or thrown away from her. When she had curled up she had hugged a strip from her t-shirt to her chest. She had pulled her legs up against her body, holding her knickers in place. But they were ruined and wouldn't stay up on their own. Using what strength she had she reached down and tied a knot in the torn side. She then wrapped the rag better around her chest and hugged herself, to keep it in place. Any reasonable size rag was too far away so she curled further up and tried to hide as much of her body as possible.

_"Come on now, there's no need to scream."_

_But Beth continued. She screamed as loud as she could, she was good at that. Only this time no one was going to come running, but she screamed anyway. Her throat began to hurt and it irritated even her own ears, but she screamed._

_At least until she was back-handed hard across the side of her face. Her head whipped harshly to the side, putting immense strain on her neck. The only thing stopping her from falling to the floor from the force was the chains._

_Jackson leered at her as he twirled the knife. As the sting on Beth's face intensified, she began to whimper, causing Jackson's leer to turn into more of an amused chuckle. He turned back to face her. The hand holding her knife stilled, holding the handle firmly and pointing it towards her._

_Beth snapped her eyes shut, gritting her teeth as tears spilled over. He brought his hand up, cupping her chin and running his thumb over her bottom lip. She instinctively pulled away. Her head turned to the side, her eyes snapping shut but her body could barely move due to her restraints. She listened to everything around her but refused to open her eyes. Something sharp poked her cheek, the knife. It was dragged down to her chin, lightly grazing her skin. As it reached her chin it was brought back slightly until it was trailed down her neck._

_"I never thought you'd be the quiet one."_

_Her eyes opened a crack. "You've been watching us?"_

_"Naturally."_

_"How long?"_

_"Long enough to know which of the women I'm going to be picking out for myself when we take over your prison."_

_Beth bit back her remark as the knife tore into her t-shirt. She felt Jackson's hand twist in the fabric as the blade sliced all the way down, tearing the t-shirt in two. The blade disappeared and Jackson's other hand wrapped itself in the fabric. Without any hesitation he gripped hard and pulled, ripping the shirt even further until it fell in rags from her body._

_Before she had time to react the knife was back. It circled her belly button, sending shivers all through her. It then trailed up her body. As it reached her breasts, it disappeared again, Jackson leaned forward, his breath against her cheek as he unhooked her bra. His speed multiplied then, cutting the straps and the rest of her clothes soon followed._

"I thought you were keeping her under lock and key."

"I was, but the boys were getting restless, especially Jackson… Are _you_ going to stop them?"

"No."

"Then spit out whatever is bothering you about it."

"I was hoping I could have her. Just for me, no one else."

Beth's ears pricked up at the voices. The Governor and Martinez. She had been wrong about the latter. He had been nice to her to get close, to take her for himself. If it hadn't of been Jackson then it would have been him. He would have done this to her and maybe it would have been less torturous but maybe it would have been worse.

Her possible ticket out of here and turned into another threat. She really was alone in this. They could do anything to her and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it. She was going to die here, she could feel it, she wouldn't fight it, she would welcome it with ease.

The door opened, letting light into the room. Beth scrunched her eyes up, curling up further. Two people entered before the door swung shut again. One of them moved to the side of the room while one came closer to where she lay. She kept her eyes closed, refusing to see which one of them had come to her.

"What did he do to her?"

"You sound like you care."

She opened her eyes a crack to see Martinez's reaction. He was crouched down beside her, his expression hard to read but he didn't look thrilled.

"I want to know how strongly I need to send this message to Jackson."

"What message would that be?" The Governor chuckled.

"That she's mine." He looked over his shoulder. "I'm the one who realised she was planning to split from the group. I'm the one who saw her first. I don't care what his involvement was, she's mine."

"I haven't seen you this determined for a while. Am I getting one of my best men back?"

Beth's eyes finally shifted to the Governor. She could only just see him. He was standing there, arms crossed. He wore an amused grin on his face. He seemed a bit too calm for the situation, especially with Martinez being so determined about something that had already been discussed.

"I never ask you for anything," Martinez practically growled. "I ask you for her. It's been a while since I had some fun myself. I want her to be my entertainment."

"I'll tell you what… I'll give you a similar deal to the others."

"And what's that?" he asked, looking back at Beth.

"Make sure she's still alive and you don't get in my way and you can have as much fun with her as you like," the Governor explained. "However I'll tell the others that they need your permission before they can go anywhere near her. Besides me, you own her now."

Beth gulped, trying to curl up further. Not only was her life in the Governor's hands but it was now also in Martinez's hands. Both had the right to pass her onto someone else for a few hours. She couldn't do that, not again. She started to cry, the sounds intensifying as Martinez laid his hand on her hip.

"If we're going to keep her alive, we need to get her cleaned up and give her some food."

"I'm starting to think you really care," he mumbled. "Are there any empty living quarters nearby that will ensure she won't be seen?"

"Yes."

"Take her there, get her cleaned up and more presentable. I'll decide when she can go again. I'd have your fun while you're there."

Beth would have celebrated when she felt and heard the handcuffs click open. The relief was immense. Her wrists tingled with pain but it was welcomed. She only wished she had the strength to fight now that she wasn't bound, but all she could do was allow Martinez to yank her up.

He gripped her arm tightly, pushing her towards the door. She could barely keep the rag up around her chest. She could hear the Governor laugh and clap at how harsh Martinez was being. She was practically falling forward with every step that she took. She could feel his nails dig into her arm as he forced her forward, never letting her stop.

But the second they were outside the room and alone, Martinez scooped her up into his arms and carried her.

_Not a scrap of clothing on her except for her knickers. Not the best ones she had owned. They were worn from constant washing and wear. Runs had been all about important supplies that they hadn't really thought to get new clothes, not even underwear. It didn't give her much reassurance to have even that slither of clothing still on her._

_It didn't help that Jackson circled her like she was some kind of prey. Every time he would duck under a chain he would pause a moment to gaze at her. It scared her how his movements could go from slow and deliberate to quick and forceful. She knew he was trying to catch her off guard, and no matter how tense she already was, he seemed to be successful._

_That's why it shocked her when he stopped behind her. His body pressed against hers. She tried to pull herself away from him but she couldn't. His arm wrapped around her body pulling her back. The blade came up to her throat, making her stop any movement. Her body froze and as much as she wanted to pull away again, she couldn't._

_The sound of a zipper created an ache in her chest. As the sound of clothes hitting the floor followed she began to sob. It was strong and painful, making her chest ache even more. She tried to move but she couldn't. The chains wouldn't allow her and the blade only pressed further into her throat. She hoped he would have dropped it but he hadn't, he still held it firm._

_He kissed her neck, nipping the flesh as he kicked her legs apart. Th blade came to her hip, and in a flash it sliced her knickers before going quickly back to her throat. With his other hand, he pulled the ruined material aside. Beth tried to distract herself, protect her mind from it all but a sharp pain later and her whole world shattered._

"Beth?"

She opened her eyes. There was light, decent light. Her head rolled to the side and she looked around. She was in a living room. It looked like a small apartment from the tiny kitchen at the back of the room. She could tell she was still in Martinez's arms so she wasn't sure just yet whether or not this was a good thing.

"I'm going to run you a bath."

"Why would you do that?" she asked, speaking for the first time. "What are you going to do to me?"

"I'm going to let you bathe and them I'm going to give you something to eat."

"Then?"

"I might let you sleep for a little while."

She was set down onto an arm chair. Her eyes stayed on him, trying to work out whether or not he was serious. He was actually helping her? He was doing something good for her? It seemed so because the next second he was taking his shirt off and handing it to her.

"Put it on till you go for your bath, I'll make sure you have something proper when you get out."

She pulled it on and sat back in the arm chair. She drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs. The sound of the water running did help to ease her slightly, but not enough. She was ready to fall asleep but the second her eyes did she remembered what happened.

To stop herself from falling asleep she stood up. Slowly she paced the room. Taking each step deliberately. She concentrated on breathing deeply and pushing down any thought of throwing up. It took everything in her to stay focused. It was a God send when Martinez finally emerged from the bathroom.

"You can go in," he told her. "Towels are in there. Just turn off the water when it's right."

"Why are you doing this?"

"It's filling up fast, you better go."

Beth didn't argue. She slipped passed and into the bathroom. She shut the door behind her. Of course there was no lock but she tried to not let that bother her. She studied the water, testing the temperature now and again. It was a little over half-way so she decided to strip. She grabbed a towel from the rack and wrapped it around her.

Sitting on the edge of the bath, she dipped her fingers in, swirling the water around. The warmth already shot through her, calming her. She only allowed for a small amount of water to go in before she was dipping her feet in, then sinking down until she was lying in the bath.

She muttered to herself in an attempt to reassure herself but also to stay conscious enough to turn the water off. It was when the water had her submerged that she turned the taps off. Once they were shut off completely, she laid back again. She sunk down further, bringing her head under the water. She held it there for a few moments before she resurfaced and just laid there, eyes closed and no longer trying to stay awake.

* * *

"Beth!"

She screamed, eyes flying opened and she lashed out. She clawed and kicked, trying to get away. It was too soon, she wouldn't survive if it happened again, it couldn't happen again.

"Beth, stop, it's me."

She continued to lash out but her eyes found Martinez. Soon her body relaxed, falling back into the bath. She looked around. The floor was soaked and so was he. Something had happened but she couldn't remember what.

"What happened?"

"You had a nightmare," he explained. "You must have fallen asleep. You were in here so long and wouldn't answer me so I came into check. You were struggling, sinking further down."

"You should have let me," she mumbled, pulling herself out of the bath.

"You could have drowned."

"Good," she muttered, wrapping the towel around her waist.

"That's not good!"

"Put yourself in my situation and tell me if you feel the same."

Without another word Beth left the room. She went out to the armchair she had been on earlier. Sitting down she went back to hugging her legs to her chest. Martinez came out of the bathroom and sat down on the coffee table in front of her.

"I'm sorry that Jackson did that to you."

"You don't know what he did to me."

"Then tell me."

She lifted her eyes to him. "What?"

"The way you were screaming in there, I can guess what your nightmare was about. I'm not the nicest guy on the planet, I've done some horrible things in my time, some even before the world went to shit, but I'm not a rapist. That's one side of the fun I liked to stay out of. It rarely happens, the Governor hardly allows it but sometimes he lets them loose to keep them in check. You're just the unfortunate candidate this time around. Doesn't help that you're young and pretty."

"What good does hearing about it do then?"

He ran a hand over his face. "I need to know I'm risking my life for the right thing."

"He raped me, what more do you want me to say?"

"I don't know," he admitted.

She stopped hugging her legs and sat back, looking down at her lap. "You want to hear about how me crying seemed to turn him on even more? Or about how he kept that blade pressed against my throat so that each time he forced himself into me I scraped against my skin?" She rubbed at the cut marks it left. "Maybe you want to hear about how forceful he was? About how he grabbed me till I bruised? How about how me begging him to stop only drove him on? Or maybe you want to hear about how he taunted me and kissed me once it was over, leaving me to just lie there in the state you found me. Maybe that's what you want to hear."

"Beth, I'm so sorry..."

As he reached out to cup her cheek, she slapped his hand away. She pushed him away and backed further into the seat. "Don't, I don't trust you. I don't trust any of you."

"If I'd of known," he told her. "If I knew the Governor had let Jackson loose on you I would have done something."

"You could have done something before, you could have let me go when you brought me something to eat. You could have untied the chains and left the door opened. You could have blamed it on someone else, hell you could have blamed Jackson, kill two birds with one stone so to speak."

"I can't let you go," he said sadly. "The Governor would know it was me and he's too smart, you'd never get away, I wouldn't be able to get you out. It's too risky, but please, let me help you how I can. Let's get you something to eat and take it from there."

"I'm not hungry," she mumbled, staring off into space now.

"Then why don't you get some sleep?" This time she didn't respond so he continued. "I'm going to eat. I'll save you some but there's some clothes in the bedroom. Sleep in there. I won't come in, I'll stay out here until you wake up."

She didn't believe him but she stood anyway. Sleeping meant nightmares but if she was going to surfer she would rather it be somewhere comfortable. Dragging herself to the room, she tried to hold onto any ounce of energy she still had but it was slipping away from her. She didn't feel just physically drained, but mentally and emotionally. It was like she had stepped back to square one and she didn't have the will power to fight it.

* * *

**A/N: **_Before anyone gets angry, I PROMISE that Merle is in the next chapter. I don't know how much but it's the start of more appearances for sure! I know some people wanted her to be saved, particularly by Merle but he'll do a bit of that later on in the story for sure and Beth will get pretty good at saving herself too! _

_I hope you enjoyed._

_R&R_


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **_Firstly **thank you** to all of those who have shown interest and especially those who have taken the time to review. It means a lot to me. I want to thank those who are giving this story a shot despite the content. Mainly a thank you to **Shealyn02**, I know this content isn't something everyone can read so I appreciate it if any of you feel that way and are still giving this story a chance. So thank you._

* * *

**Chapter 5.**

Beth woke suddenly, feeling the bed dip. Every bad thought possible ran through her head. She pulled the covers tighter around herself and squeezed her eyes shut. Maybe if she pretended to be asleep then maybe she would be left alone. She was happy, shutting the world out and sleeping in a bed again, she wasn't ready to have that shattered yet.

The covers on the other side of the bed were lifted, letting in a draft. Beth curled her legs up, trying to curve away from the cold. It would be all too clear that she was awake now. Although Beth was sure her being a sleep would make no difference in stopping these people from getting what they wanted.

In her own eyes she had been weak before and if she had a choice, she wasn't going to be again. So Beth rolled onto her other side, facing whoever had come to the bed. She was faced with Martinez. He was slowly stripping until he was down to his boxers. Every move was deliberate and Beth came to realise that he was trying to be quiet. The clothes he left on the floor as he turned to face her.

"What are you doing?" she asked quietly as their eyes locked.

"The Governor," he explained. "He thinks I want you and he's expecting me to have my way with you while you're in here. I'm going to make him think I have."

"But you're not actually going to?" As he nodded his head in confirmation, Beth let out a shaky breath. "You're really not going to hurt me?"

"As long as I have a choice, I won't lay a finger on you."

Beth moved into a sitting position, keeping the covers wrapped around her. "So what do we need to do?"

First he grabbed the pillows. He pressed on them, flattening them down before he knocked one off the bed and put the other at an odd angle. He then grabbed at the sheets and covers (which Beth let go of) and ruffled them. He pulled at them, making them look used. After that he grabbed his clothes and littered them across the floor.

"I hate to ask," he said quietly. "But I really need to."

"What is it?"

"I need you to strip."

Beth's face dropped, all the colour draining. She figured this would be the easier option but it wasn't. Couldn't she just stay dressed? Wasn't it logical that she would put her clothes back on again?

"I won't look, and you can get back under the covers straight away," he promised her. "Leave your underwear on if you like but it might be more believable if at least your bra wasn't on."

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Turn around."

He did and once she was sure he wasn't going to look, she stood up. She stripped down to her underwear. For a moment or two she stood there contemplating. Despite the dangers Martinez was helping her. It was risky, she knew that so she wanted to help, she wanted to do this right.

Deciding quickly she unclasped her bra, threw it down with the other clothes and dove under the covers. She sat up but made sure the covers were pulled up high and wrapped around her.

"Okay."

Martinez turned back around. He moved to the pile of clothes she had left. He picked them up and knelt on the end of the bed. Once he was steady he started to fling her clothes around the room, quite like he would in the heat of the moment. Once they were around the room he moved to the chest of drawers. He opened up the top draw and Beth heard the clink of metal.

"One final thing," he promised.

When he turned around Beth noticed the handcuffs he was holding. If she was restrained it wouldn't be logical for her to have gotten completely dressed again. So not wanting to back out now she nodded her head. He moved round to the head of the bed.

"I need you to lie down and put the hand closet to me against the head of the bed."

Carefully she slid down the bed, being absolutely sure to stay covered. Once she was down far enough she raised her arm above her head, making sure to place her wrist near the rails of the headboard. Reaching over, Martinez first attached the handcuff to her wrist and then to one of the bars.

He stepped back. "Sorry if they get too tight, I'll leave you."

"He's going to make me go back down there, isn't he?"

"Yes," he nodded. "I wish I could keep you up here but he won't risk it. If you don't go back tonight it'll be tomorrow before the rest of Woodbury wakes up."

"Well, thank you for trying," she said sincerely.

Without another word he left the room. Beth sunk down as far as she could, trying to find an angle that would allow her to gain as much comfort as possible. With her arm above her head at such an odd angle she was sure it would start to get tingly but she made the best of it.

* * *

The next time Beth opened her eyes, it was morning time. The sky was still almost completely black outside but Beth was sure it was morning. Besides being handcuffed to the bed she felt relaxed, telling her that she had gotten a few hours sleep at least.

It felt good to have woken up of her own accord, rather than because of another person. She rolled over as best as she could, fixing the covers around her. Trying the best she could, Beth stretched her body out. She felt it pop and crack in various places. It sent some relief through her aching body.

She didn't have long to think about her pains or how they were caused before she heard some noise from the main room. As quickly as she could, Beth sat up. With her wrist being handcuffed to the bed she couldn't get the best angle. She tried her best to keep her eyes on the door so that no one could sneak up on her.

Now she could hear voices and various bangs. Somebody else besides Martinez was out there. Beth held her breath as she listened. The noises were getting closer to the door. Either way she was going to be taken back, chained up and God knows what else would happen to her. A million things were racing through her mind. Did she want it to be the Governor? He was cruel but it was strategic, so maybe it wouldn't be as bad. With Jackson it would be brutal, she had first-hand experience of how he liked to handle situations. If she was lucky maybe it would be Martinez but it could be anyone, somebody she's never met.

Suddenly the door opened and her answer was met. Jackson. He grinned at the sight of her, curled up, free arm gripping the covers tightly. With hardly a break in his stride he was over by her. He leaned down, deliberately getting as close as possible as he unlocked the side of the handcuff around her wrist. Beth yanked it away and rubbed at it. Debating her options.

Before she could react Jackson grabbed her and yanked her out of the bed. In order to stop herself from completely falling her hand loosened on the covers. She still gripped it as he pulled her to her feet but when he yanked her away from the bed it pulled away from her. Beth's arms flew up to cover her chest. She tried to twist away as Jackson tangled his hand in her hair but she could barely move.

"Pretty ain't she?"

Martinez leaned in the doorway, arms folded over his chest. He was looking in their direction but he merely grunted in response. He didn't move from his spot until Jackson leaned in and kissed just behind her ear.

"Hey, you had your fun," Martinez warned as he pushed away from the door. "It's my ass on the line if I don't get her back."

"I'll be quick."

"And I'm not risking it, wait till she's in your care."

"Look, he wants rid of you already," Jackson laughed in Beth's ear.

"I'm not done with her," Martinez assured. "I just don't think she's worth his wrath, now let her go so she can dress."

"I like her this way."

"And if she's seen? What will be easier to cover up?"

Jackson seemed to think about it for a moment. His hand tightened in Beth's hair, pulling it so tightly that it brought tears to her eyes. Once his mind was made up he shoved her in the general direction of the bed. She hit it and fell onto it. She didn't bother to break her fall, in fact she felt more covered lying face down across it.

The two men told her to hurry up as they left the room. Beth laid there for several moments, listening for any sign they were going to burst back in. When they didn't she got up off of the bed. With shaking hands she grabbed her clothing and pulled it all on. It took her several attempts to get various items on. The more times she put them on wrong, the angrier she got with herself. Her hands were shaking so much and her heart was beating so fast that she could barely concentrate.

It was a miracle that she even managed to leave the bedroom before they came back in to get her.

* * *

Having had more than a few hours away from being chained up, it felt even worse when she was back there. She wasn't chained up as harshly but she still had no choice but to stand. She could feel every bruise, cut and bite that Jackson had left on her body but her much earlier pains were gone. She had a lot more energy than she expected and it helped her to stay on her feet.

It was her mind that was at war. Every time Jackson did so much as look at her she would start to freak out. Her heart would race and her body would begin to tremble. It didn't help that he tried to get to her on the way back. He talked about how the Governor was breaking her in for something big, for a plan that would inevitably go his way no matter what she did. In the end he would win everything he ever wanted and she would be to blame.

Beth knew that what the Governor wanted was the prison and for various members of the group (if not all of them) to come to serious harm at his hands. He wouldn't allow them to simply die, no, he would make it more painful. Beth didn't want to give him any of those things. She didn't want to be the reason any way, shape or form. It hadn't even really started yet and she was already worrying sick about causing the group harm.

Between that and her Jackson worried self, Beth was a bit of a mess. Jackson and Martinez were watching her until the Governor came down. There wasn't too much that Martinez could do without looking suspicious so it was natural that Jackson slipped through the net a few times. He would continue to taunt her with his words and on occasion he would get closer enough to run his blade along her skin or kiss a certain spot. Each time it jolted Beth back long enough to freak out even more.

By time the Governor arrived she was exhausted. Those hours that Martinez managed to buy her in a decent bed was for nothing. She was using up all of her energy and fast. At this rate she wouldn't survive, not if she kept thinking like that. She had never been the strongest in the group but the safety of the prison had made her lazy, even with their close calls.

"How much fun did you boys have?" the Governor asked in an amused tone.

"Jackson here has been taunting her," Martinez informed.

"Well, it looks like you did a good job, but it's not enough."

"Hey, he said I wouldn't have time this morning if we wanted her back here in time for you," Jackson said, motioning to Martinez.

"Not enough to what?"

"To break her," the Governor explained. "I know you have the basic idea of my overall plan. She hasn't been here that long, but I want to move my plan along. She says her group aren't stupid enough to come looking but they might just be."

"What are you saying?" Martinez asked.

"I want to break her, I want to get what I need for my plan as soon as possible. I don't care who does it so long as I get what I need."

"I could do it," Jackson spoke up. "I just need some time alone with her."

"I don't think you're going to shake the poor girl up any more than you already have. I want someone who hasn't been properly involved in this situation yet, someone who can work out a better way of how little Beth here ticks."

For the first time Beth's ears pricked up. She was used to them talking about her but he seemed deadly serious on this. She was confident things could get worse, but was she prepared for that?

"Who are you thinking of?"

"Jackson, go and get Dixon in here."

Both Beth and Martinez snapped their heads towards the Governor. Martinez knew that that could lead to beatings and various forms of torture. Sure they might be minute for now but they could easily get out of hand but for Beth it was different. For her it was the name. _Dixon_. Could it be?

She had mixed emotions. Was he doing this to torture her? Could this really be who she thought it was. Her eyes stayed on the door, waiting. First Jackson stepped back into the room. He didn't look happy about not being involved, but Beth had no time to be happy about his upset, her eyes were focused strongly on the door.

But it wasn't who she expected. On one side she was relieved that Daryl hadn't come into the room because that would mean her group were in trouble but on the other side the pain in her accelerated again. She studied the man before her. He was a little taller and a lot broader than Daryl. He was gruff looking, a bit of stumble going on and short hair. He looked oddly familiar. Between the name and the familiarity something came to her. Daryl had talked about having a brother. How he had been in the original group before the farm but he was left in Atlanta, something about Rick and a rooftop, his brother had lost his hand.

Beth's eyes zoned in on where his right hand should be. Some kind of apparatus was there instead. Could it be a coincidence? This could be another step to getting out. Surely the older Dixon would want to see his brother, right? Beth's eyes panned up his body till she reached his face. She gulped. The grin on his face had her taking a step back, maybe this wasn't the kind of Dixon she was used to.

* * *

_R&R_


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **_Sorry this wasn't updated sooner. I went away recently and when I got back I got a little bit behind on updating. Hopefully I'll be getting back into updating more. Thank you for the reviews, follows and favourites. They all mean a lot to me. I know a lot of you were waiting for Merle to show up but friendly reminder that he might not be the nicest person in the world to start off with. Enjoy!  
_  
**WARNING:** there's a little bit of violence at the end of this chapter._  
_

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Beth retreated, trying to get away from all of them again. It wasn't completely absurd to assume that this Dixon could possibly prove a threat. Daryl hadn't exactly been the nicest person in the world when he came to the farm. Beth had heard some pretty snarky comments come from him, and she had even seen or heard about some of the things he had done. Daryl had changed. He started to do more good for the group and became a bigger part of them, but it took time. Beth doubted she had enough time for this Dixon to change.

Merle chuckled at the sight of her. She had to be the youngest person he'd seen down here. He wasn't entirely sure why she was here but he did know that the Governor needed someone to break her so that he could bend her any which way he wanted. The Governor was a man who eventually got what he wanted, sometimes he just needed a little bit of help to get it.

"You got this under control?"

Merle looked over his shoulder at the Governor. "Yup, I ain't sayin' you'll get results today though."

The Governor nodded in understanding. "Sooner the better though."

Looking back at Beth, Merle nodded. She watched as the others left the room, leaving the two of them alone. She had to think fast here, she needed to play this right. The more people she had on her side, the less messy her escape would be. She had to have faith that she would escape, it was just how much of herself that would actually get out which worried her.

"What's ya name?"

She frowned. "Beth..."

"Well Beth, I'm Merle."

"What are _you_ going to do to me?"

"Some of what's already been done to ya, some that ain't."

Beth gulped, retreating even further back. The handcuffs were cutting into her wrists but she didn't want to be anywhere near Merle. He had to be good at what he does for the Governor to call him in. Beth didn't want to go through any of the things she had already been through again and she couldn't begin to imagine what else their could be.

As he walked towards her, Merle rolled his head. Beth could feel his eyes on her as she tried to look away. In a naive way she hoped that if she didn't look then it wouldn't happen, he would just leave the room and everything would be fine, but he didn't. She saw his boots as he stopped not too far in front of her. There was still a lot of space between them which helped to keep Beth's heart beat at bay.

Suddenly without warning Merle gripped the chains, right near the handcuffs. He gripped them tight and yanked them, pulling Beth up and towards him. She came face to chest with him. She glanced up to see him looking down at her. He let go of one of the chains but wrapped the other around his hand to keep her in place. One side of her body relaxed but the other side was held up, keeping her as close to him as possible.

Beth's heart was erratic. She could barely hear his heart beat or even his breathing over the sound. She wouldn't be surprised if it popped right out of her chest, it was so loud. Whenever it got just a little bit louder Merle's smirk would grow even more. Her fear seemed to be entertaining for him and Beth could only imagine how entertaining he'd find her pain. He was a lot bigger than both Jackson and The Governor so he could probably hit and kick a lot harder and cause a lot more pain. If he was anything like his brother he would be precise too. She had to think fast, she had to play this right and it needed to be now or never.

As he drew his free hand back, closing it into a fist, Beth screamed. She did it loud and long until his other hand loosened its grip a little and he dropped his raised one. She looked at him as she continued to scream. He was watching her intently but he didn't look like he was about to make any move to hurt her just yet. Beth stopped screaming but kept looking at her. After a moment of unsurety he raised his arm again.

"I know your brother," Beth blurted out.

"What?" Merle questioned, his arm still raised, frozen in place.

"I know your brother," she repeated. "Daryl, I know Daryl."

"Maybe you _knew _him, but how can I be sure you still know him?"

"He's with my people, we're a reasonable size group, he hunts for us and goes on a whole bunch of supply runs when he can," Beth explained. "He has this bike he always uses and he's almost never without his crossbow."

Merle's arm dropped, he studied her intently. "How do you know all that?"

"Because I know your brother," she sighed. "Please. How would I know his name or what he uses otherwise?"

"So what do ya expect me to do?"

"Let me go, help me escape and I'll take you to your brother."

Beth and Merle's eyes made contact. They stared at each other for the longest time. Beth's heart calmed as she thought about the prospect of this working, of him letting her her go. There was a reason for him to come with her, she would be fine, she just had to play it cool till she reached the others and then she really would be safe.

"Why didn't my brother stop you from being taken?"

"He wasn't with me," Beth explained. "We went to gather supplies and I was grabbed from behind. I tried to fight but they knocked me out. I didn't want anyone else to get hurt."

"Didn't anyone teach ya to be more careful when in the open?"

"We were in the woods, we were moving on foot to see if we could find anything decent in there... Fruit, a lake for fishing, anything. Daryl was back with everyone else. He was on standby with a couple of people and a car so they could go for a real run when we got back."

"The woods?"

"Yeah, they surround a lot of our place, you can see a lot of it from our towers and it would be hard to get too lost among those trees" she told him. "Will you let me go?"

Beth held her breath as he seemed to mull it over. He seemed to believe that she knew Daryl and he seemed interested in his brother. Even if they hated each other, it seemed like Merle still wanted to see Daryl. As her hopes were getting unbelievably high, Merle raised his arm so fast that Beth would have missed it if he hadn't of aimed his fist right at her, striking her chin and throwing her head harshly to the side, creating an effective and loud crack.

"Once I get you just the way The Gov wants, he'll be more than willing to tell me where the others picked you up," he hissed in her ear. "Thanks for letting me know my brother's still alive."

Beth cried out as he struck her again and again.

* * *

_R&R_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Beth's ears began to ring. With her head bowed she watched as drops of blood hit the concrete floor below her. In reality he hadn't really struck her that many times but he had been brutal. She had a cut on her lip, her cheek was puffy, her face would no doubt have some bruises and her skin had been cut in various places. At the very least Merle hadn't seemed happy while throwing punch after punch, she tried to make that her silver lining of the situation.

"How long has she been staring at the floor?"

"Last hour or so."

The Governor laughed at the response. Beth could hear him walking around, no doubt surveying her. He seemed to be happy so no doubt Merle had done a good job. She felt weak and miserable and like she wanted to give up. As much as she tried to cling to any hope she had left, it was hard. With every drop of blood that splattered the floor beneath her a bit of hope fell with it.

"That girl was petrified of me," Merle's voice came, sounding unsure. "But when all I did was hit her she seemed almost relieved. What the hell were ya doin' to her before I came along?"

"I don't think she and Jackson have the same definition of fun."

Merle grunted but made no other comments. Beth lifted her head enough to look at Merle. He was watching the Governor suspiciously. There was no doubt he knew exactly what was meant by 'fun'. A spark of hope relit in Beth as she spotted the look of disgust on Merle's face. If she had to guess Merle had shown no emotion while hitting her because it had been his job. She prayed that that meant that he didn't do it as a form of entertainment. And the disgust on his face now made Beth hope that he still had some kind of morals.

"I need to go back up," the Governor explained. "The residents haven't seen me properly for a while. I'm going to go around and talk to some of them, reassure them that everything is still fine. It's getting late so I won't be back down here tonight."

"Want me to stay with her then?"

"I'd appreciate it... Keep an eye on her and see if she says anything."

Beth dropped her head again as the Governor moved to the door. After she heard it shut she heard Merle drag a chair and then sit down firmly on it. Her arms weren't stretched that far up so she was able to balance on her knees. They were going numb already but it was far better than the pain she normally felt in her arms and shoulders. Although her face stung, it was also no where near as bad.

She appreciated the silence that fell around the room. She was so used to being taunted in some way, shape or form but Merle sat quietly and did nothing but stretch out and stare up at the ceiling. It was clear that they would both rather be somewhere else but bringing up Daryl again might prove to be a fatal move. Maybe when Merle became more aware of the extents that the Governor would go to then maybe she could get him on side.

* * *

Beth blinked as she slowly opened her eyes. She could hear her name and she was being shook. It took a moment or two for her senses to come back to her. As her vision cleared she began to recognise the voice. Her world spun as she lifted her head to look at who was there. Her eyes focused on Martinez. He frowned as he watched her. He was no longer saying her name, just waiting.

"What are you doing here?" she questioned. "Where's Merle?"

"He left a few hours ago, it's the middle of the night."

"What are you doing here?"

"I know Merle can be brutal when he needs to be. I wanted to check on you and I'm glad I did... I thought you were dead."

"Dead?" She frowned.

Martinez motioned to the floor. Beth's eyes dropped to see a pool of blood. It wasn't too large to cause too much worry but it was enough to arouse suspicion. As she stared at the pool she could feel the dried blood on her face start to crack. Slowly it started to feel like her face was caked in blood. She must have looked like something out of a horror movie, it would probably be the most suited she had ever been for the world she was in.

"How bad is it?"

"You look like you dove face first into a swimming pool filled with blood."

"I'm still cute though, right?" Beth tried to joke.

Cracking a smile, Martinez shook his head as he pulled a bag into view. He reached up and unlocked the handcuffs around Beth's wrists. Dropping down she rubbed at her wrists. She sat to the side and watched as Martinez rifled through the bag. Eventually a cloth, bottled water, forms of medicine and other medical supplies were produced.

"I'm sorry if this hurts," Martinez mumbled.

Beth didn't speak a word as he used the water to make the cloth damp. Carefully Martinez wiped away at her face. For the most part it was painless but every now and again as the blood was being tugged away it would pull on healing cuts. Each one would cause a hiss to escape Beth's lips and Martinez to stop his movements for a moment or two. Eventually all of the blood was wiped away. He then got a smaller cloth and poured some antiseptic spray onto it. Carefully he dabbed it against her face. It made her broken skin sting and itch but it barely lasted seconds before she felt much better. As that soaked in Martinez got some surgical tape and began cutting up some bandages.

"I'm going to cover the worst of your cuts until they heal a little better."

She titled her head back a little so that Martinez could get better access. Carefully he laid a small bit of bandage onto an open cut and taped it down. He continued to do this with all of the open cuts. Once all of them had been covered Martinez sat back. He packed up everything that was still good to use and bagged the dirty stuff. He then took the cloth he had wiped her face with and mopped up the blood on the floor.

"Won't you get into trouble for this?"

"No," Martinez shook his head. "The Governor wanted someone to come down around this time and clean up a bit."

"He's trying to confuse me, isn't he?" Beth mumbled.

"Yes. He's going to hurt you and help you so many times you won't be able to think straight, you'll have no idea what he's going to do next. He wants to drive you insane so you'll beg him, reason with him to give you at least one day without that kind of torture."

"When will he stop?"

"When he gets your prison."

"But he'll kill all of my people?"

Martinez gave a small, sad smile. "Probably."

"How much down time do I have?"

"A couple of hours to be safe, but I'll keep your chains slack so you can lay down for a bit."

"What a gentleman," Beth chuckled.

"I try."

"If I ever get out of here, I'll come back for you," she told him honestly. "I'll make sure my group know not to hurt you."

"I'll be just fine right here if I have to be," he told her softly, placing his hands on either side of her face. "When you get out... If it's messy, you never come back here. No matter what your people do, you must never come back."

"I won't let you stay here longer than you have to."

"And I won't let you come back to this."

"I think we just had our first real disagreement," she said, trying to make light of the whole conversation.

"And I'm not about to let you win, if you get out and come right back, then what's the point in all of this?"

"The point is I would have survived because of you," she whispered, moving to her knees to give her more leverage, to get closer to him. "I would be free because you risked your life to do things like this for me." She motioned to her face. "I would owe it to you."

"Then make it up to me by _living_ and not running back to the devil himself."

"This is all about if I get out of here," she sighed. "But if I do escape, why would I let the one person who refused to hurt me continue to lie down with a man like that?"

"Because I've survived this long, you're special Beth. Odds are you should be dead right now, you should be... A zombie. Sat here with no hope but instead you're talking about saving _me_. You're special, Beth and I need you to survive."

He kissed her forehead, lingering there for a moment. "Let's get these off and get you something to drink before I go."

She let him pull away and neither of them spoke another word. Carefully he pulled away the bits of bandages. He used the clean sides to wipe away stray bits of blood, being careful not to disrupt the healing parts of her skin. She could still feel a constant pain but it was nothing like before. Earlier she had found a spark of hope in Merle's reaction and now that spark had grown thanks to Martinez's stubbornness. She had always been the weak member of the team but she wasn't about to let someone go on suffering when she could maybe do something to stop it.

"Even if I don't come back," Beth said softly. "They will and I'll tell them about all the good you've done for me. A few have met you. They know what you look like. They'll find you and they'll help you."

"If they're smart, they'll run."

"No, if they're smart they'll drive a blade right through him and save us all."

Martinez sighed. First he handcuffed Beth back to the chains. He then bagged everything up. He pulled the bag over his shoulder and held the smaller bag in his hand. He kissed Beth's cheek gently before standing up. He made his way over to the door. Before leaving he looked back over his shoulder, "sleep now and use that hope you have of saving me to save yourself. You're gonna need it." With that he left the room, shutting the door firmly behind him.

* * *

**A/N: **_forthose of you who are worried about Merle's behaviour in the last chapter... he has no emotional connection to Beth yet or any kind of connection for that matter but I promise that things won't get too violent between them and he will do a lot of making up in the future._

R&R


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_Drip, drop. Drip, drop._

Beth blinked. Her mind and body slowly woke up to the sound. It had been two days since Martinez had come to clean her up. No one had been in to see her for more than a few minutes. She had been taken to the bathroom twice. As well as that she had had two biscuits and a mouthful of water. Enough to keep her alive but not enough to stop the hunger. The sounds she was hearing now sparked an interest in her as she lifted her head to look in the direction of the sound. As her eyes adjusted to the light she rubbed the sleep out of it. Slowly her eyes focused and she realised that it wasn't something but some_one_.

Her eyes zoned in on someone sitting on a chair not too far away from her. They were leaning forward, arms on their knees as they rested on them. Bit by bit her eyes focused more and more, making bits of the person clearer. Slowly Beth was able to piece the picture together to reveal the Governor.

He was sat on a chair, leaning forward on his knees just starting at her. One hand dangled loosely off the edge of his knee while the other held a bottle of water. Its cap was missing and it was tilted down. The water was coming out of the bottle a drop at a time. It made a noise every time it hit the concrete below it. For every drop that was wasted, Beth wished she could have it.

As her eyes locked on the bottle and every drop that came out of it, the Governor smirked. Slowly he tilted the bottle up to the right position, making Beth look up at him. "Do you want some?" he asked her.

Not caring about the consequences that would undoubtedly come with it, Beth nodded eagerly. She was willing to do anything for a single drop. In retrospect she had had water not that long ago but with just a mouthful of water and the dusty, dark conditions of the room she was in, it wasn't enough. Her mouth was already dry.

"Come on then," he said, coaxing her over as he beckoned her forward by flicking the bottle from her to him.

Slowly Beth crawled closer. With the chains so slack she could move but she would be lucky if she could get close enough to him. Still she tried. She crawled closer and closer until she was almost right in front of the Governor. To her surprise he held the open bottle out to her. Beth snatched it from his hands, spilling some of it as she did. Instantly she brought the bottle to her lips and drank.

It was meant to be a sigh of relief as the liquid touched her lips but it was very different to that. The liquid inside the bottle was _not_ water. Beth wasn't sure what it was but it tasted foul and it made her lips burn from the touch. She tossed the bottle away from her and spat out any liquid that had seeped into her mouth.

He laughed manically as he leaned back in his chair, watching her. Beth rubbed at her lips with her fingers, trying to stop the burning as she moved away a little. As the two were sat in their very different positions and manners, the door opened. Martinez walked in followed by Jackson, Merle and a couple of other people. They all stood by the door, staying away but Martinez stepped forward.

When he reached Beth he crouched down in front of her. He held out a bottle to her. This one looked just like the other so it made Beth stop and think. She knew that Martinez would never want to hurt her but the Governor was watching. It would make sense if Martinez gave her a bottle of the same stuff but if it was really water then why was the Governor allowing it?

"Drink," the Governor spoke softly.

His tone made her worry more and over think. Knowing it would probably end up bad either way, Beth took the bottle from Martinez. Her hand shook as she carefully unscrewed the cap. As she brought the bottle to her lips she couldn't do it. She held it away from her and started into the open top.

Martinez took the bottle from her hands after a few moments of her just staring at it. She watched as he pressed it to his lips and drank. When he swallowed it he handed the bottle back. She kept her eyes on him in case he spat it out but instead he just opened his mouth to show it was empty.

"Now, drink," the Governor repeated in another soft tone.

Slowly Beth brought the bottle back to her lips. She was careful this time as she tipped the bottle up. This time it stung but nothing like before. The water slowly eased her cracked lips and soothed her throat. By the third mouthful she was able to swallow it all down a little better.

Without another word the Governor got up. He moved over to the door. As he left through it, Jackson, Merle and the other two guys followed after him. Martinez didn't say a word as he watched her drink. The concerned look on his face made her slow her drinking down. There was only a quarter of the water left by time she was able to stop.

"Thank you," she told him. Her voice croaked a little but it didn't feel half as bad as before. She screwed the top back on the bottle and set it down.

"I'm sorry I never came, he didn't want anyone to see you."

"Why not?"

"He wanted his trick to work," Martinez said sadly, looking at the ground. "It's the first of many. Like I said, he wants to confuse you."

"That's why he let me drink whatever that stuff was and then allowed you to give me actual water straight after," she said in realisation. "And why we was kind of enough to give me _two_ bathroom breaks but not enough food and water."

"He wants to break you," Martinez shrugged. "No doubt he'll want to use Merle again but Merle's getting suspicious."

"Suspicious of what?"

"Of how far the Governor is willing to go to get what he wants. Although from what I hear Merle has a better idea of where his brother is now so really he doesn't need you."

"He won't kill me," Beth gulped, trying to sound confident. "His brother would never forgive him."

"I hope to God you're right," Martinez sighed. "It won't take long before the Governor lets Jackson loose on you. He thinks I'm already having my way with you and sure he said I have a big say in that department when it comes to you but soon even I won't be able to stop him."

"I thought I'd seen and been through worse until Jackson came along," Beth said quietly. "I never want to go through that again but if it means you don't get into trouble then I'm willing to take one for the team."

"No, this isn't a team," Martinez told her firmly. "It's only you that needs to get out of this. No matter what happens Jackson won't lay a finger on you. I don't care if I have to face the Governor's wrath or not."

"You said it yourself, if he needs to he'll resort to extreme methods, he'll let Jackson and whoever else loose on me," Beth argued. "You can't stop everything and I won't let you get hurt just to buy me a few hours. You don't want me to risk my life for you? You don't want me to get hurt for you? Then you shouldn't have helped me."

Martinez reached out. He cupped her cheek with his hand and rested his forehead against hers. "I hate you," he mumbled.

"I hate you too," she said sadly.

They sat there for a long time. Neither of them saying another word. They didn't need to. Somewhere along the way they had created some type of attachment. In reality they hadn't been in each other's company that long at all but they were both willing to do whatever it took to get the other as far away from the Governor as possible.

* * *

**A/N:** _So this chapter is quite subtle I guess but I really liked it, especially the end. Anyway up next there is a small time jump. I'm not sure when but things will get a bit violent and there will be trigger warnings coming up. Don't worry, I will warn you at the beginning of chapters before anything like that comes up._

R&R


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **_this chapter is a bit different compared to the last one. there are notes at the bottom about it and future chapters so be sure to check that out. anyway, enjoy! :)_

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Two Weeks Later 

It had been two long weeks since Beth and Martinez's little moment. It was close to three weeks since Beth was taken and no one had come for her yet. In the most part she was glad that her group hadn't come for her. She had heard no commotion and none of the people she saw looked worried, so Beth knew that no one had come for her. Surely if they had and failed then the Governor would use it against her, use it as away to get what he wanted. Beth was almost relieved that they hadn't come, she had experienced first hand what the men of Woodbury could do and she didn't want that to happen to anyone she loved.

Over the two weeks Beth had changed enough to survive. The Governor was still trying to confuse her so after she endured many hours of pain she was treated. Her treat was that she was allowed to go to the apartment she had been to before with Martinez and wash up. She was given better clothes and a bed to sleep in. Of course everyone thought that she was having sex with Martinez against her will but that never happened.

She was now at the portion of her days where she got that treat. Her body was bruised and sore. Most nights she was strung up in those chains until she felt like her arms were about to fall off. So far whenever she faced Jackson he beat her, almost like Merle did expect Jackson went for her body. He never raped her again although the Governor seemed to be coming round to the idea more and more. Merle came in a couple of times, but he never beat her, he just intimidated her and then started talking to her like she wasn't some kind of prisoner.

Beth constantly thought about the things that happened to her. She knew it didn't do well to dwell on such things but she couldn't help it. Even as she was being escorted up to the apartment she couldn't stop her mind from thinking about it. It didn't help that the man escorting her was gripping her arm so tight it felt like it was going to break in two but at the same time he was walking her along at a normal, leisurely pace. It was all part of the confuse Beth plan so she wasn't sure what way was up.

Her mind was thrown from her thoughts as the man threw her towards the apartment door. The apartment was on its own and was only used by those who did a lot of late night work for the Governor. It was out of the way so no chance of any Woodbury residents stumbling by. It was only a short walk between the entrance to the underground where she was kept and the door to the apartment. She knew the front door didn't face onto any main area of Woodbury otherwise they wouldn't risk taking her. Of course Beth was usually out of it or blind folded so she could never see exactly sure of any details. For all she knew it could be right next door but they took her in circles to make it seem longer.

She hit the door and just managed to push herself away from it in time for Martinez opening it up. She could just imagine the fake, twist grin that he would be showing. The way he would lick his lip and motion for the other guy to leave them be. Beth was always sure that was done because Martinez would always lay a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"C'mon, Beth," he said softly, pulling her gently through the door. "Let's get you inside."

Once they were in and the door was shut behind them, Martinez pulled the blindfold down so it hung around her neck. He smiled at her but Beth could see it wasn't in his eyes. He reached around her to untie her hands. When the rope fell to the floor she flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. His arms came up to wrap around her. He held her close. Both of them took a moment to pretend like none of this was happening.

Martinez pulled away enough to look at her. He rested his forehead against hers. Their noses touched as Martinez let his eyes drift shut. As he let out a slow breath, Beth closed her own eyes. Martinez titled his head to the side a little just as Beth's arms slacked a little around his neck. Her fingers locked together behind the back of his neck. Just was she was about to open her eyes to look at him when their temporary peace was shattered.

"Open up," Merle yelled from outside the door as he hammered on it.

He wasn't angry, he was just being loud. Even Beth knew that was typical Merle. Obnoxious was one of his more obvious traits. Martinez muttered something under his breath as he pulled away from Beth completely. As he stood he helped her up. She watched as he fished into his pockets for something. Eventually he produced a key.

"You've been up here long enough," he whispered to her urgently. "Take this and lock the bedroom door from the inside. Make sure to slide it back out."

She didn't ask questions as she went to the bedroom door. As she slipped inside and shut it, she spotted Martinez pulling his shirt up over his head. She locked the door behind her like she was told. As she did she heard Merle yelling again. As quickly as possible she slid the key out under the door. There were a few seconds of nothing before she heard the front door open.

"Heard ya got the girl up here?"

"Yeah, she's in the bedroom."

"Already?" There was a pause where Beth was sure Merle would have smirked or nodded his head in approval. "I see why you're the only one who's really allow to touch her."

"Yeah, well you interrupted us." She could just imagine him motioning to his shirtless form for emphasis. "I had to lock her in the room."

Beth looked down at herself as she heard them walking across the room. There was barely a break in their stride so she figured Martinez had been smart about picking the key up in front of Merle.

"I've got the key here somewhere." They were on the other side of the door and she heard him audibly pat his pockets. Beth looked at the button up shirt she had been given most recently. She gripped the fabric and pulled. It tore apart and buttons went flying at all angles. "Ah, found it," she heard Martinez say. Beth didn't have time to wander how he did it. She wrapped the ruined shit around herself and took a step back.

The door opened and they both walked in. Martinez looked at Beth in shock but he quickly regained his composure. Merle looked between the two of them with a smirk.

"How come she ain't tied up?"

"I didn't have time to do that and deal with you," Martinez muttered. "Plus, she's not gonna run off."

"How do you know that?" Merle questioned, looking like he genuinely wanted to know.

"She's knows it works out better for her in the long run," he explained. He moved over to Beth and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She tried her best to look disgusted as she turned away from him slightly.

"Yeah, she really looks like she wants to stick around," Merle chuckled, waving his hand in Beth's general direction.

"Well, it's no fun if they surrender."

Merle laughed, nodding his head in agreement. "Well ya ain't wrong about that."

Beth looked at him then. She had to fight not to push away from Martinez and step closer to Merle. Because in the latter she saw a lie behind his eyes. Although Merle seemed to be laughing and joking about what Martinez supposedly did to her, Beth could see it wasn't true. In Merle's eyes she could see that even he was a little disturbed by the fact that she was potentially being used for sex more times than were imaginable.

If he kept showing this side then Beth hoped that she and Martinez could talk to him. That way she would be sure if Merle decided to help her then Martinez would be safe.

"How long ya got her for?"

Martinez shrugged. "Hasn't been decided, whenever he wants her back down there. Was there something you actually wanted?"

"There's a run happening soon, we're not sure when," he informed. "Governor wants you on it though."

"Who else is going besides you?"

"Couple of rookies but I don't know much else," Merle admitted. "I'm sure we could handle it alone anyway."

"I'm in," Martinez agreed, trying not to sound reluctant about leaving Beth for such a long time. "Just need to give me a heads up on when it'll be."

Merle tipped an imaginary hat in Martinez's direction. He backed out of the door and put his hand on the door handle. "I'll leave you two at it."

He winked at them before he shut the door firmly. They heard Merle chuckle as he walked through the apartment. Both of them held their breath, but as the front door open and closed they both looked at each other. Martinez dropped his arm from around her and moved over to the chest of drawers. From one of them he pulled out some clean clothes. He moved back to Beth and handed the clothes to her.

"You should go and wash up now."

He said it with such lack of emotion that it worried her. So she took the clothes from him but didn't move. "It's okay. It would be suspicious if you turned the run down. I'll be fine."

"If anything happens while I'm gone..."

"Then it won't be your fault," she told him firmly. "If you don't go you could cause more damage. I'm not leaving this room until you admit that you going is the best decision."

He looked at her. He was trying to logically work it out. He couldn't save her anyway. If the Governor wanted to truly hurt Beth then he would. He would do it with no games and there would be no chance of anyone getting in the way. Eventually he let out a low sigh. "Fine, _okay_. It's the best choice. Now will you go wash up? We don't know how long we've got."

She reached up and hugged him with one arm. She gave him a small smile as she turned and left the room. Normally they knew how long they had and they would make sure Beth got her energy back the best way possible but this time was different. She could be in the apartment for mere hours or a few days. They didn't know. All Beth knew for sure was that she wanted to sleep and even talk to Martinez about something other than their current, constant predicament.

* * *

**A/N: **_okay so there's a chance of some easy chapters coming up where there will be no violence or any kind of warnings (maybe minimal mentions or such), however we will be entering a whole group of chapters that will have various warnings. You will see a lot of **strong violence warnings**, you will then start seeing **minor trigger warnings**, then some** major trigger warnings** and then some **sexual violence and strong violence warnings**. These will be over various chapters and it's not for a little bit but I wanted to give you guys a head up now so you're prepared and can decide if this really is the kind of thing you want to read. **I will still warn you at the beginning of each appropriate chapter. **It won't be long after those chapters till Beth gets out of Woodbury. It might not seem it now but you will see Beth grow into a much stronger character._

_Anyway, thank you guys for the reviews, follows and favourites. It means a lot :)_

_R&R_


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **_I was hoping my messages would be working by time I posted this chapter but apparently not. I managed to message a couple of you but I was going to message all of you who reviewed the last chapter to thank you because I was starting to have my worries about this story. To all of you (especially DarylDixon'sLover because I couldn't message you back), I know there are some unanswered questions, for example, why the group haven't come for Beth yet. It will all be explained. All I can say is that Beth isn't a hundred percent aware of her surroundings and where she is exactly. You have to remember that it's impossible to explain everything when the story mainly follows Beth who spends her days tied up. She is just as out of the loop as you guys. If you guys have any other concerns then please leave them in a review or PM me, I'd rather try and clear things up than have any of you go on feeling confused as you read :) Thank you so much for the follows, favourites and reviews, it means the world to me and I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!_

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**Chapter 10**

After she had washed up and changed, Beth was greeted with food. Martinez was still a little off but he did seem a little better than before. For the most part he at least tried to keep the worried expression off of his face. The two of them ate in silence. It wasn't much but it never really was. They made the most of it though and after their food was cleared Beth had moved to lie down in the bedroom.

While she had laid across the bed, Martinez had followed her. He moved over to the bed and laid down beside her. There was a bit of space between them as they laid on their sides facing each other. It was all they did for a good couple of hours or so. Neither of them would say a word. Every now and again Beth would drift off to sleep for a few minutes here and there before she woke herself up.

"Martinez, what's really bothering you?"

"Nothing you need to worry about," he tried to assure.

"I don't believe that," she said firmly, reaching her hand out to his. "I rely on you a lot. I'd like to think we're friends now."

"He always tells me when he wants you back down there."

"What's your point?" she questioned, sensing how unsure he was.

"Well, I'm guessing he never gave me an exact time because he's planning something," Martinez explained. "He probably doesn't want you back until whatever he's planning is set into motion. You've been here a while now and it's getting too dangerous, he needs to break you."

"He knows where my people are, why doesn't he just go and get them?"

"Because if he has you on side then he's got an advantage."

"Insider knowledge," Beth mumbled, rolling onto her back. "Back ways into the prison, routines, the groups skills… Anything he could possibly need, I could give to him."

"If he breaks you," Martinez agreed. "You're either going to trust him or you're going to be so scared of him that you'll do and say anything to survive."

"I would never give up my group," she argued. She rolled off of the bed and stood up. Her arms folded over her chest as she kept her back to the bed. "No matter what he does to me, I would never give any information on them just to give myself some time."

"You think that now." She heard the bed creak as he rolled off of it. The floorboards groaned a little as he moved round the bed to where she stood. "I know you would never willingly do it but I guarantee he can make you into a whole other person, a person that would give any information just to be free for even a second."

"How many people has he done this to?"

Martinez was beside her now. "I've never seen the Governor hate anyone as much as he hates your group."

Beth looked sideways at him. She took that to mean that he hadn't really done this to anyone else, at least no one living or undeserving. That scared her the most. Apart from her group she was the first innocent to experience the horror of the Governor. He was brutal enough as it was but now she had no doubts in her mind that this was only the start.

"Be honest with me," she said softly. "Do you think I'll survive this?"

"It depends on what he throws at you, you've proven to be stronger than any of us ever expected," he told her honestly. "You've even surprised me a little."

"I'll take that as a compliment." She laughed, turning back towards the bed. "I'm going to try and got to sleep, and I want you to join me again."

As she undressed a little and climbed under the covers, he did the same thing. Like usual he made sure to reach up and handcuff one of her hands to the headboard. One hand was always free so she could be at least a little bit comfy. If he could he would just leave her be but he couldn't risk it. He knew that if he got caught helping her in any kind of way it wouldn't just fall back on him, it would also fall back on Beth.

"Where is this apartment?" she questioned.

"At the edge of Woodbury," he explained quietly. "The front door faces away from any main buildings so no one can see us go in and out."

"Why am I always out of it or have a sack over my head when they bring me here?"

"Safety, they don't want you to know the layout too well," he shrugged, trying to explain it to her as best as he could.

"I can guess some things already," she told him.

He looked sideways at her. "Like what?"

"Either we're still in the underground for the whole transfer or we're outside, either way we don't pass through a main corridor 'cause I figured those would be a little bit warmer or insulated," she explained. That she had worked out a while ago. There was no way she went through an actual building because before the apocalypse they would have most likely been insulated to keep in some kind of heat. When she was transferred to the apartment and vice versa, she always felt a breeze. "I also know that the distance is short enough to get me there quickly but not too short that anything being done to me could be heard from the main street."

"You're too smart for your own good," he said sadly. "Don't sit there thinking it will work though. Woodbury is highly protected, you wouldn't get far if you tried to escape. I would have let you go before now if I knew you stood a chance."

"One day it will be safe and we'll both get out of here."

"I thought you wanted to try and sleep," he muttered, closing his eyes to emphasise the end of the conversation.

She took the hint and before she closed her eyes she muttered back, "you're stuck with me."

* * *

The two of them had fallen asleep at some point. Neither of them knew how much time had passed but there was suddenly knocking on the front door. Beth rubbed her eyes with her free hand as she looked at Martinez. It was definitely late outside but that in itself was no indication of what time it could be.

Martinez looked at her as he rolled out of bed. From the look on his face, he was equally as shocked. Beth had no choice but to strain her ears to listen as he pulled on some clothes and left the room. There was a couple more knocks and then the door opened. She could hear voices, male and at least two (besides Martinez's), but there wasn't much else she could pinpoint.

"And how do I know the Governor ordered this?"

"He wants her back down, are you going to argue with that?"

Martinez appeared in the doorway with two guys. Both of them glanced towards Beth before looking back at Martinez. It appeared that her treat was over. It was time for her to go back to her cage.

"Of course not but I'm not getting on his shit list because you assholes thought it would be a smart idea to have some fun of your own."

"We all know she's off limits until you give the okay or the Governor orders it"

All four of them looked towards the sound of Merle's voice. Martinez must have left the door open slightly. Merle appeared among the four of them and they spilled into the bedroom.

"They're here to take her back," Merle confirmed for Martinez. "The Governor asked them to get her the same time he told me that our run is today."

"I told you to give me a heads up," Martinez growled.

"Are you backing out?" One of the men asked, smirking at the situation. "Thought you didn't want to be on the Governor's shit list?"

"I never said I was backing out," Martinez muttered. He moved over to grab his shoes. He sat down on the end of the bed as he pulled them on. "Just sayin', a heads up would have been nice."

"I know how ya feel," Merle agreed, rolling his hand as if to speed everything along. "Now unchain her so they can go and so can we."

Beth and Martinez shared a brief look as he knelt on the bed beside her. He leaned over her and unhooked the handcuffs. The second they sprung loose Beth curled up, covering herself. Martinez took a breath before he gripped her arm harshly and yanked her away from the headboard. As he stepped off of the bed before he yanked her again, pulling her to the edge of the bed.

"Get changed," he ordered.

She practically fell off of the bed as she rushed to get the clothes she had removed before. As quickly as she could she pulled on her clothes. The second the last bit was on her arm was grabbed again. This time it wasn't Martinez.

"Let's go," Merle yelled as left the room. "We got a lot of shit to do today."

Martinez stood back. The two guys left the room next, taking Beth with them. Martinez followed out and gradually they left the apartment. Martinez was doing all he could to keep eyes on Beth for as long as possible but eventually he had to tear his eyes away and walk in a completely different direction. They managed to share one last look before a sack was pulled over Beth's head.

* * *

_R&R_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 **

Martinez and Merle jumped out of the truck bed as it stopped. The rookies they had been paired with stayed in their seats, ready to drive if they needed to. They had been part of the inner circle for a long time but there was a lot they didn't know. Both Merle and Martinez knew that they could handle the run on their own but the Governor was convinced that they take a couple of pairs of extra hands.

"How come ya care so much about the girl?" Merle asked as they cleared out a house.

"I never said I cared."

"Well you never seem thrilled about her bein' taken away."

Martinez rummaged through the high cupboards in the kitchen. He was knocking all the appropriate stuff into a bag to take back to the car. "I don't like my fun being ruined. Certain things a man's gotta keep to himself."

"Couldn't agree more," Merle chuckled. "As long as that's all it is."

"I'm still human," Martinez muttered as he searched every crevice he could find. "Of course I have my doubts every now and again. I've seen a lot of shit but it still hits ya when someone can do that to another human being. Although I bet you don't have that problem."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Merle demanded as he grabbed Martinez's arm and forced him to turn around.

"It means ya didn't seem to have a problem when you were beating her up."

"And forcing her to have sex is any better?" Merle growled, his face so close to Martinez that he could feel Merle's breath fan across his face. "I'm only about doin' my job not hurtin' innocents for pleasure, why do ya think I ain't raised my hand to her again?"

"I wonder how you managed to make that fly with the Governor," Martinez smirked. "Not raising another hand to her must cause suspicion."

"I'm good at lyin' when I need to," Merle responded. He finally let go of Martinez's arm and took a step back.

"Well I won't tell him it's 'cause you're having doubts if you stop bringing up me and her."

"Deal, but first you tell me once and for all what's going on."

Martinez sighed as he filled up the rest of his bag. He knew he couldn't tell Merle the whole truth so he had to be smart about what he did say. If he wasn't then Merle might see straight through it and really start asking questions.

"I'm just like you," he explained eventually. "I don't think she deserves half the shit she gets but I get what the Governor is doing and I'm on his side. So although I've had my way with her, we don't have sex every night. That's why she doesn't look as torn up as you'd expect. I make it look like I've had sex with her to keep the Governor happy. Having someone fight you off every night doesn't do wonders for your ego, despite what others think."

"Jackson," Merle said knowingly as they moved upstairs. "I thought I was an asshole."

"So did I," Martinez commented. "Still do."

They shared a look but neither of them said anything else. When they reached the top of the stairs they went separate ways to check out each room. This was the first stop of many. Keeping the peace would be the best way to get through the next couple of days.

* * *

It didn't surprise Beth one little bit that nothing had changed about the room. It was almost a routine now to be dragged inside and chained up so that she could barely stand on her feet and would undoubtedly put pressure on her arms. It was all very much the norm in her life at the moment but there were subtle changes. The atmosphere felt different. The sounds that bounced around the room seemed to echo even more. The air felt more damp. It was like Beth was only just really taking her surroundings in.

Suddenly Martinez's worries didn't seem so far-fetched anymore. Something definitely wasn't right. It was clear now. The Governor was smart, even when he was desperate everything was planned so why wouldn't he let Martinez know when she was needed back? Beth tried to think of as many reasons as possible but none of them seemed to show good results for her.

Her group hadn't come, something she was still thankful for because it meant they were being smart about this but with her only lifeline on a run, she suddenly wished her group would come to get her. She needed her Daddy's kind words and her sister's hug. She needed Glenn to say something stupid and then get all embarrassed about it so she could laugh. She needed to hear Rick shout orders out and Daryl to take down the enemy with his crossbow. She needed them and everyone else back at the prison, each of them to make her feel something new. For the first time since arriving she was desperate for her group to come.

"Well, well, little girl," she heard Jackson sing as the door swung open. "Looks like my privileges are still provoked but the Governor says we got a play date nonetheless."

Beth tried to hold her ground as best as she could. She had come too far to break down just yet. Jackson took a step towards her. His hands were already clenched into fists as he smirked at her. She knew that this couldn't be all there was to the Governor's latest plan but it certainly was a start. This time she wasn't going to have someone to come and clean her up. She really was defenceless and it had been a while since she felt that way.

* * *

_R&R_


	12. Chapter 12

**WARNING: **various degrees of violence.

_I did some condensing of chapters. There is violence in this chapter and the next chapter will have trigger warnings. The chapter after that should have some more violence, especially sexual violence. After that you will start to find out where the group have been and there will be constant Meth interaction from there on out.  
After that you really will get some Meth interaction and answers about where the group have been._

**WARNING: **various degrees of violence.

* * *

**Chapter** **12**

It had been 6 hours since Beth had been dragged back down to her cell. The stones walls looked even darker and the damp air was even more revolting to smell. Everything seemed a whole lot worse when mixed with the dripping of blood accompanied by the metallic taste that filled the air. Her body ached and she was surprised by how much skin was broken. The bruises were already forming and they framed each little red cut she had. Her clothes blocked the view which meant if she didn't move then for a few seconds at a time she could forget that she had been beaten.

Jackson had targeted her body. He threw blow after blow as she hung from her usual chains. The had been tightened exceptionally hard this time so that whenever Jackson punched or kicked her she would go swinging backwards, her toes leaving the ground so that she was high in the air. It all put an even bigger strain on her arms, causing her even more pain.

He kept it up for a while, but Beth was positive he could have last longer. As he went for a break she was left hanging, reeling in the pain and having to suffer even more.

* * *

It was another 6 hours before Jackson came back. Beth was thrown from her thoughts as he threw the door open, causing it to slam against the wall. Her heart was pounding even more against her chest. It's erratic behaviour made her ache even more. With every step he took his grin only grew. Beth was positive that he could hear the sound of her heart getting louder and louder. The sound excited him and only got him more pumped up for the latest interrogation session.

"You ready to talk yet?"

Beth shook her head, not trusting her voice. She wasn't going to break. During Jackson's last assault he would ask her random questions about her group and the prison. Some of them seemed completely irrelevant but whenever she didn't answer he would hit her harder. No matter how little and irrelevant the questions seemed, Beth wasn't going to talk.

"Not even one little world?" When she shook her head again Jackson smiled as he shook his head at her. "Wrong answer."

Before she could even try and brace herself the first hit came. Jackson's fist collided with her stomach. A second blow followed and another and then another. Beth's stomach twisted with anticipation for every one. She tensed each time his fist made contact and it seemed to only cause more pain. The next hit was an elbow to her shoulder. Soon he was throwing punch after punch so quickly that Beth could barely keep up.

As Beth swung about on the chains, Jackson stepped over to the controls. Every part of Beth's body stung so badly that even her clothes were starting to irritate her. As well as her broken body her mind was subjected to confusion as the chains loosened and she was able to drop to floor. Once the chains were as slack as they could go Jackson came back over to her.

He cupped her cheek before his hand slipped round to grip her hair. He yanked her up harshly. Beth was sure that he could rip her hair out at the roots if he pulled any harder. Once he got her into a standing position he reached down and undid the handcuffs so that her hands were free. Before Beth could marvel in her freedom she was slammed up against the wall. Jackson pressed his body against hers to keep her still.

"Now, I'm going to ask you again, are you going to talk?"

Before Beth could even think to shake her head, Jackson pulled out his knife. He pressed the blade to her throat. Slowly he trailed the blade down the middle of her throat then across her collarbone towards her shoulder. As he reached her shoulder he pressed the tip hard against her skin. It nipped it slightly, causing a droplet of blood to form. Compared to the rest of her pain it was nothing so Beth looked him straight in the eye and shook her head.

Jackson placed his knee between her legs to keep her absolutely still. He ran the blade from her shoulder and down her arm. He held the other arm in place against the wall so she couldn't move. As the blade trailed down her arm it barely made a mark but as he reached her wrist things changed. Jackson twisted the blade around slightly so he could grip her wrist and hold it high against the wall. With his other hand he took the blade.

"Last chance," he warned.

She gritted her teeth in anticipation and shook her head. The second her head completed her first shake Jackson raised the knife and slammed it down. The blade went through her hand. She screamed out in pain as he held the knife in place, pinning her hand to the wall. With her other hand she tried to reach up and pull his hand away but she couldn't reach far enough.

As she clawed at him he kneed her multiple times in the stomach and even elbowed the side of her face. Eventually she stopped her attempts to get rid of the blade. As she calmed her movements and began to sob, Jackson twisted the blade still inside of her hand. With each turn Beth cried out and hot tears fell rapidly down her cheeks. Her hand was on fire and her arm was already covered in blood.

"Big mistake," he hissed in her ear. "You're gonna wish you said something sooner."

He pulled the blade from her hand and stepped back. She fell to the ground in the heap, unable to break her fall. Before she could curl up or move away Jackson handcuffed her good hand to the chain again. He then turned without another word and left her alone in the room.

The second he was gone she held her bad hand up to examine it. The blade had gone right through and the cut was no longer clean thanks to Jackson twisting the knife. There was no way she could use it properly for a while. The blood was still flowing but it was getting less and less. Knowing she had to do something Beth gripped her shirt and just about managed to rip a strip off. She awkwardly wrapped it around her hand and tied it off enough to stop it from completely falling off. She then curled against the wall and held her bad hand to her chest in an attempt to keep the cloth wrapped around it better.

* * *

_R&R_


	13. Chapter 13

**WARNING: **Some possible trigger warnings and a bit of violence

**A/N: **_Good news so I managed to condense some things down and rework some things, I don't want to give anything away as to why that's good so make sure to check the note at the end when you're done or even scroll down and read that first if you need to. Thank you for any kind of reviews, favourites and follows. If there's something you were worried about or wanted answered try the notes at the bottom, there might be some answers there. Enjoy!_

**WARNING: **Some possible trigger warnings and a bit of violence

* * *

**Chapter 13**

Beth had passed out at some point after Jackson had left her. Between the amount of crying she had done and the over thinking, she was exhausted. Her head had been throbbing so much that she was sure she would have a permanent headache, and it only got worse. When she started to come to she was knocked out from behind.

When she woke up again she really did feel like she had a headache. It took her a moment or two to realise that her surroundings were different. She was still in some kind of underground room but this one smaller and a lot darker. It took her longer than usual to get her eyes adjusted but eventually she was able to make out smaller details. Across from her was a door, at the bottom of it was what looked like a smaller door. As she scanned the room it seemed like there was nothing else in the room except for a wooden chair that was in the middle of it.

Her eyes drifted down to her hands and as they focused she noticed the bandage around her injured hand. It was tinted red but it looked like it was doing a good job with keeping her hand clean, it was certainly doing a better job than the scrap she had wrapped around it before. It felt better too. Although her hand was pulsating a little the blinding heat was gone.

As she held her hand up in front of her to examine it her eyes caught something hanging from the ceiling. As she dropped her hand and looked closer, her mouth dropped open. Hanging in the middle of the room was a noose. Below it on the ground was the wooden chair. It was clearly a deliberate placement. The Governor would never let her die unless it was on his terms so all the noose was was some new kind of torture.

How it could be torturous, she couldn't be sure but as she stared at it she slowly started to understand. Switching off the bad thoughts that flooded her mind she looked away from it and curled up as best as she could against the wall, trying to block out the way her body protested the movements.

* * *

Merle, Martinez and the two rookies set up camp. The rookies sorted out the stuff they had collected to make sure they had everything that had been checked off on their list. When they were sure it was there they would stack it in the bed of the truck. While they did that Merle and Martinez mapped out a route. It had been a day and a half since they left for the run and they had almost everything they needed. There were just a few things left and they wanted to be smart about it.

"How long do you think this is going to take us?" Martinez asked as they marked down another spot.

"Another day at least," Merle explained, his voice barely a mumble. "Depends how often we stop to catch our breaths."

"Why does he even need all of this stuff?" He looked behind him and motioned to the stuff around and in the car.

"Probably to get us out of the way."

"Of what?" Martinez asked curiously, noting the obvious tone Merle had. The two of them were always in on any of the Governor's plans, that's how highly respected they were so it didn't seem logical for them to be out of the loop.

"Because I won't beat her no more unless it's necessary and you're always around her."

Martinez grew silent for a moment. Him not being there would mean he was out of the way and if Merle didn't do what the Governor wanted then he would just get in the way so there was no point in him being there. Not wanting to think about what the Governor might be doing to Beth he changed the subject slightly. "I heard she tried to get you to let her go. Would you have done it?"

"Doubt it," Merle shrugged. "I ain't a nice guy."

"She's so young... I can't help but feel sorry for her sometimes."

"Well, I'm not about to risk my life for a girl I barely know. Maybe she don't deserve all of this but rather her than me."

"I'm surprised she's still holding on," Martinez spoke honestly.

"Yeah, if I felt like my group had forgotten about me I would do something drastic too- Oh wait." He held up his arm. Martinez looked at the apparatus at the end and rolled his eyes. Everyone knew the story of how Merle was chained to a roof by some Sheriff in this group and eventually had to cut off his own hand.

"You know, I was thinking… Maybe she should know, it might make a difference," Martinez spoke up, ignoring Merle's comment before tagging a lie on the end. "Maybe if she knows then she'll lose all hope and it will be easier to break her."

"Our orders are to not tell her," Merle warned, pointing a finger at him. "The others have got it covered. We keep the girl out of the loop, the more she knows the harder things will be."

"I just think-"

Merle grabbed a burning stick and waved it in Martinez's face, causing the latter to fall quiet and lean away slightly. "Say another word about it and I'll kill you myself."

Both men fell silent as the stick was thrown back onto the fire. The two of them put their heads down and got back on with their work. Since the day Beth had been captured they had all been lying to her. Martinez wanted to tell her every time they were together but he never did. It could 'cause her downfall and result in things getting even worse for the two of them. Beth had to be in the dark because it meant that any possible escape would never work. It meant that no matter how well she did, she would never be ahead of them.

Eventually Martinez knew he would have to tell her and it would probably break her, but he hoped that it would give her enough reassurance to keep her going and survive what she had gone through.

* * *

Beth had been in her new room for a couple of days at the very least. She couldn't be sure how long exactly due to her being unconscious when she first came in. She wasn't tied to anything so moving around freely came easy. She avoided the middle of the room where the noose hung. She had been left two small cups filled with cold beans over her time there. It was put through the smaller door. Other than that she was given no contact and nothing to drink.

If she needed the toilet she had to make do with the drain that sat at the edge of the room. She never needed to go though. The thought of it alone didn't help much. If the drain was clogged in anyway then the smell would backlog and fill the room. As the time passed her mind started to slip slowly. Her lips were dry and her throat sore from the lack of liquid. The thought of not having a drop to drink made it feel worse.

Her world was getting darker. It was like everything that had happened to her recently was finally hitting her now that she was really alone. More often than not her eyes would drift to the noose. The constant lack of light in the room didn't help her mood. It pushed her further into the darkness. The lack of communication made her feel lonely, leaving her mind with itself. Her thoughts would run wild and hit the darkest of places. Her hand was healing but not quick enough. Her bandage was getting old already and she had nothing clean to replace it with when the time would come. The thought of it getting infected worried her even more. The rest of her body still ached. There was dried blood all over her that made her smell even worse than she already did. The blood also made parts of her clothing stiff and uncomfortable to wear.

Between her mind constantly worrying, her body smelling so bad that she felt like she was going to be sick, her clothes being uncomfortable, her body still aching from the beatings, her hand getting more chances of being infected and the having no communication with anyone, the noose was becoming more appealing. Every time she looked at it she stared a little longer at it and as the third day started to come to a close she finally moved towards it.

She stood a little away from it. Her hands rested on her hips as she looked up at it. The longer she stared at it the more those horrible feelings she had pushed down since her capture bubbled up again. As she stared at it she could hear the sound of her father clicking his tongue. Her head whipped towards the sound but she couldn't see him anywhere. When she was sure her mind was just playing tricks on her she faced forward again.

Carefully she reached out towards the noose but soon dropped her hand again. Her eyes drifted shut and she became absolutely still. Her mind started to think about how the noose might feel, that it couldn't hurt to just put it around her neck. She didn't have to jump. But if she did and she was lucky enough for it to be quick then the Governor would lose his leverage. Her body would only fuel her group to fight harder and win this war.

However, just as she brought up the courage to even shuffle closer to the wooden chair, she was interrupted.

_Bethy_.

She looked to the side from where her Father's voice had come from but again he wasn't there. She snapped her eyes shut once more and tried to block him out but it wasn't working.

_What are you doing?_ he questioned. _Don't even think about stepping any closer to that._

"You're not here," she muttered.

_Maybe not but if you wanted to get up on that chair, put that rope around your neck and jump, then why would your mind be talking you out of it?_

She blinked back tears as she opened her eyes again. Her 'Father' was right. This was really her mind talking to her so why would her own mind be talking her out of stepping up on that chair if that's what she really wanted to do? A trick was her best bet. Another false sense of security before she kicked the bucket.

"Leave me alone."

_You're not alone._

"Then where are you?"

_We haven't left you, _his voice promised._ Deep down you know that. Deep down you know that there must be a reason why we haven't come for you. It's been almost a month Bethy, what could stop us from coming for you?_

"I don't know," she sobbed, her fingers reaching out towards the rope again.

_If you get up on that chair, you might never know._

"And I have no guarantee I'll get my answers. It's not reason enough to stop, what if you're all dead?"

_What about Martinez then? He's still alive. Your death would have horrendous results on him and his betrayal will become obvious to those around him._

"He can survive without me, I'd only hold him back."

_What about your sister then? And me? If we're dead then how do you suppose we died?"_

"By looking for me," Beth answered sadly as she moved even further forward. "By the Governor."

_Then don't you want to see the look on his face when you drive a blade through him for what he's done?_

Beth blinked and took a step back at the twist her mind had taken. The darkness inside of her was slowly being projected onto something else. Getting up there and putting the rope around her neck still appealed to her but a hatred for the Governor and the others grew deep inside of her. If she died then maybe things would be better for her but what about everyone else? As far she knew she still had a family out there and her duty was to protect them.

Slowly, fighting some of the darkness inside of her, she turned away from the noose. Gasping for breath she stumbled away from it and got as close to the back wall as possible in an attempt to stay as far away as possible. Every glance at it only defined the hole that was growing inside of her. It became more and more appealing but she knew she had to fight it. Fight it till the point where she could turn it into anger aimed at the enemy. The second Martinez got back they were leaving and this time she didn't care if she died trying.

* * *

Fighting the darkness was a lot harder than Beth expected, especially as the hours passed by. Still she kept on fighting, she knew in the long run it was the best thing to do. Occasional she felt like she was getting stronger. It sometimes only lasted a few seconds but even those few seconds were enough to remind her that it was worth the struggle.

Sometimes all she saw was the appeal. The fact that she could end this for herself and no longer have to struggle. It didn't help that this was her first real way out. Unless someone hit her one too many times, she never had a permanent way out like this. She could have always tried to drown herself or find another way while washing up at the apartment but that would mean Martinez would find her and she wasn't sure she could let that happen.

So she fought it. Beth reminded herself of all the good there was in life still, no matter how small. She reminded herself that she had a family she needed to see again and at least two people that she would like to run a blade through. No matter how little any positive thought was, she went with it. Anything to stop her from going crazy and hitting the darkest of places.

It made her more exhausted than ever but she wouldn't give up. Soon she started to feel the affect. She was in and out of consciousness so often that she was never really sure if it was day time or night time. It didn't help that being in constant darkness threw off her internal clock. It was more or less that way until Jackson came in and startled her.

She barely had time to react before he was making his way over to her. She managed to sit up but she couldn't get to her feet before he gripped her arm and yanked her up. He checked her over a couple of times, assessing the damage he had done to her.

"How do ya like your new room?" he asked her, motioning behind him with his free hand in the general direction of the noose.

"It's cosy."

He growled at her lack of emotion before dragging her away from the wall. "Cosy, huh?"

It was clearly the opposite response he was expecting. Beth took a moment to make sure she was relaxed enough before she said, "yeah, it's kind of comfortable here."

Jackson's hand clenched into a fist and as he pulled it back Beth made a snap decision. Before he could launch his attack she brought her knee up. It connected with his stomach, hard enough to make him drop his arm. She brought her knee up twice more until he let go of her completely.

She stumbled backwards, refusing to take her eyes off of him. Slowly he straighten up. His hand held his stomach as he glared at her. She ignored the way her knee screamed out at her. She had already angered him, there was no way she could stop. Every time he stepped towards her, she would step back. Seeing he possibility of some resistance, Jackson pulled out his blade. With his knife raised he moved a lot quicker towards her.

"Stop it now and the consequences won't be so bad."

Beth didn't believe a word of that. She could see the evil glint behind his eyes. If anything he was going to make her surfer even more. So as he lunged for her she darted out of the way. She almost fell to the floor but she just about managed to keep her balance. She could hear him coming up behind her.

As Beth went to turn around she spotted the chair. As fast as she could, she grabbed the chair and swung around. It collided hard with the side of Jackson, knocking him over. He groaned as he moved to get up. Without any hesitation Beth hit him again with the chair and then again. She continued to hit him until he stopped trying to get up. She would be sure she killed him if it wasn't for the rise and fall of his chest. She took a step back from him and dropped the chair.

As it clattered to the floor, the door creaked. She looked over to it to see Martinez standing there. She wasn't sure how long he had been standing there but his emotion was hard to read. Slowly Beth dropped to the floor and began to sob.

* * *

**A/N: **_So, because I condensed this down and reworked some things it means Beth's escape will happen in the next chapter. Right at the start pretty much. You will also get answers with where the others have been. Now I do have to say that all the dark stuff isn't gone. Some of the dark content will be during Beth's healing process as she tries to over come what she's been through. So next we have the escape and parts of Meth, enjoy._

R&R


End file.
